


Drunk and Disorderly

by Salmon_I



Series: To the Moon and Back [1]
Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Arguing, Confessions, Drunkenness, Fighting, Gen, Gossip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-17
Updated: 2019-02-17
Packaged: 2019-10-30 00:32:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17818415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Salmon_I/pseuds/Salmon_I
Summary: “I don’t got anything against Guerin.  Or did you forget senior year?  Y’know, when you and Liz tried dating for a whole, what, week?”  And, yah, Max was definitely looking annoyed now.  “Guerin and I really hit it off, remember?  Used to hang out while you were too busy for your best friend.”“I remember that you two hung out a time or two.  Had a few study sessions. You both liked guitar, and he went to your little jam session at the local amateur night.”  Max offered.“A time or two?  Man, talk about not seeing the forest for the trees, Evans.  Guerin and I were inseparable then.  We were still together after Liz dumped you to go back to Kyle.”  That got a glare out of the other man, and Alex found himself grinning at that.  Harsh and cold in the dark night.  He was itching for a fight right now, and Max was proving easy to rile up.





	Drunk and Disorderly

Alex knew he was drinking too much. Way too much, to be honest. And it was absolutely not to blame on the latest town gossip. Deep down he knew the whispers about Isobel Evans-Bracken and Noah’s marital issues involving Michael Guerin were bullshit. He also knew that Isobel apparently staying a night or two at Michael’s trailer before returning to her parents’ home meant nothing. Nobody actually even knew anything except that Isobel had not been seen for almost 48 hours, and the husband and wife were no longer under the same roof. Everything else was speculation. Michael was not sleeping with Isobel, no matter what the gossip mongers of Roswell society thought. Michael thought of Isobel as a sister - he’d told him that all the way back in high school. And his reaction to her showing up to his trailer when Alex was still in his bed all but confirmed it. “Whoa, relax, man, it’s just Isobel.” was not the reaction of someone whose lover was outside. But…

There had always been this… bond, for lack of a better term, between the Evans twins and Michael. Everyone knew the three were interconnected, regardless of their position in Roswell society. Past and Present. If you needed to find any one of the three, just seek out the others and they’d point you in the right direction. Isobel’s own husband seemed to understand that when his wife wasn’t home or at work he could find her with either of the other two men. And wasn’t that a kicker?

The end of his and Michael’s high school romance - such as it was - had been some strange mixture of Liz and Max’s break-up, Rosa’s death, and Michael drawing away from him. He had constantly been around the Evans twins then, while at the same time seeming at odds with them. He’d refused to confide in him about what was wrong, even though when Liz and Max had begun dating they’d been drawn to each other and begun to find comfort in each other even before they’d ventured into their own secret relationship. The argument when he’d enlisted after graduation had been the final nail in the coffin of their story back then.

Okay, he was still torn over Michael for a lot of reasons. Their most recent interactions among them. One stolen kiss, a handful of steamy nights, and one barely-counts-as-a-date drive-in movie where there had been three feet maintained between them at all times had ended with him saying something he both did and didn’t regret. He knew about Michael’s history, but he also knew all too well about the man’s potential. He’d mocked his engineers, and he didn’t doubt for one moment that Michael was the one who was correct about whatever chemical had been found around his airstream. He had meant what he said at the reunion - he was wasting his life. The other man had dodged that comment with typical swagger and mockery - his favorite forms of misdirection. Michael could have gotten out of Roswell. Michael should have gotten out. He had been above Liz in their classes, so if Liz could get a scholarship than Michael definitely could have as well. So what had happened between then and now? Why was Michael still in Roswell, working at ranches and as a mechanic, doing side hustling that amounted to petty theft and getting into bar fights? Michael should have had multiple degrees at this point and working on something amazing. Anything but where he currently was. That was what Alex had always pictured him doing, anyhow.

He knew his words had hurt the other, hated what a stuck up prick they’d actually made him sound like. He hadn’t actually even said he didn’t like what Michael had done because it was immoral or against the law - he’d spoken about reputations. Which really made him sound like… his father. And, dammit, that just made him angry at himself. But he’d wanted to get a rise out of Michael - wanted him to deny what he’d called him. Wanted him to… explain what he’d missed in those ten years. Instead Michael had acted like him calling him a criminal was no big deal. Was some simple truth. He hated that the second chance for them had ended in cold words, and him walking away again. But he hated that Michael seemed to have given up on himself even more.

All the memories and feelings Kyle had dredged up were certainly contributing. There was also whatever the thing was he’d found in the wall of Valenti’s cabin’s secret basement bedroom - and wasn’t that a what the heck level all its own? He had no clue what it was, why Valenti had hidden it, or what Kyle had truly been looking for. Liz was looking into her sister’s death, and apparently there was something in the autopsy that gave rise to serious enough questions to have Kyle questioning things. Questioning literally everything, including his own father. Yet Liz hadn’t come to him - or to Maria - about it. Instead going to Kyle. And while, yes, Kyle probably had access to certain things he and Maria wouldn’t, it still stung to know she would talk to him about such things over them.

Alex did not typically drink away his problems. Knew it was useless, and a really bad idea in general. It wasn’t dumb rumors about Isobel and Michael that had been the tipping point. Except screw it, it kinda was, because what was the freaking deal with Michael and the Evans twins? What was the weird codependent - tri-dependent? - thing between them? Jealous over the man he’d walked away from. Twice. Yep, that wasn’t pathetic at all.

Maria had asked him who the guy was again. He’d flat out denied any guy was involved. She’d actually cut him off after a certain amount of drinks, giving him a frown and telling him to go home. He’d hit up two more bars instead - one a tourist joke and one a dive so seedy he knew his sober self would be embarrassed to remember visiting it. If he remembered. He was currently wandering the street with a whole bottle of… something in his hand. He’d lost track of what he was drinking, had left his car at the Wild Pony - despite knowing he couldn’t get to his cabin without it - and was debating about calling Maria and asking her for a ride. Potentially spilling everything to her, because he needed someone in his corner, dammit. Instead, a vehicle pulled over and he found himself face to face with Max Evans. He did not want to talk to any Evans right now.

“Airman Manes, you need a ride home?” He asked, cautious.

“Don’t you typically throw drunks wandering around at 2am in jail?” Alex had thrown back at him.

“That usually includes being a public nuisance or loitering, not just walking around town.” Max reassured him, frowning. “Are you okay?”

“I’m just peachy, Evans, thanks.” He could hear the combativeness in his own tone. A part of him was pretty proud of making such few words sound testy.

Max was getting out of his car, though, and approaching him with a frown that was more concerned than angry. “You seem upset, is there someone I should call?”

Alex gave a laugh. “Why the concern? Hm? I’m sure lots of people are wandering around drunk tonight. Bet Guerin is.” Except, he hadn’t seen Michael at a single bar yet. Maybe he needed to try a few more?

“Michael? He actually isn’t out tonight.” Max was frowning at him now. “What’s Michael got to do with anything?”

“Nothing. Just got a reputation these days.” Alex took a swig from the bottle. “Town drunk, right? Arrested once a week?”

“What do you have against Michael?” Max asked, his tone turning annoyed.

“I don’t got anything against Guerin. Or did you forget senior year? Y’know, when you and Liz tried dating for a whole, what, week?” And, yah, Max was definitely looking annoyed now. “Guerin and I really hit it off, remember? Used to hang out while you were too busy for your best friend.”

“I remember that you two hung out a time or two. Had a few study sessions. You both liked guitar, and he went to your little jam session at the local amateur night.” Max offered.

“A time or two? Man, talk about not seeing the forest for the trees, Evans. Guerin and I were inseparable then. We were still together after Liz dumped you to go back to Kyle.” That got a glare out of the other man, and Alex found himself grinning at that. Harsh and cold in the dark night. He was itching for a fight right now, and Max was proving easy to rile up.

“I guess I don’t recall you being that close. You certainly didn’t keep in contact after graduation. After you chose to enlist - which seemed a strange choice, to be honest. You were always going on about your music. Guess appeasing your father was more important.”

Ouch. Alex felt the hand on his crutch tighten angrily, but he only gave a small scoff. “Guerin wasn’t happy I chose to enlist, actually. Had a fight about it. Did you know that even then we were still talking? Unlike you and Liz.” He drove that knife home. Because Liz had definitely not interacted with Max at all after graduation, but Michael would still occasionally meet up with him.

“Why do you keep bringing Liz into it?” Max was talking through clenched teeth now.

“Wow, your dense. See I’m not bringing Liz into it. I’m making a comparison. Between you and Liz, and Guerin and me.”

Max was staring at him now, anger warring with confusion and a slowly dawning revelation. “Liz and I - we dated.”

“Yah, see that’s the whole thing. You were dating, and Isobel was doing her Queen Bee Mean Girl shtick, and then there was Guerin. Guess you suddenly didn’t need him around anymore, so he needed someone else to rely on.”

“That’s… no, Michael was our friend all our lives - he’s practically our brother. You didn’t even talk to him til senior year. What do you think you know?”

“Oh, plenty. See, I’m the one Guerin relied on then. I’m the one who was there for him the night he got hurt. While you and your sister were having some family drama that ended up leaving him in the cold.”

“Wait, you were there that night? But Michael said nobody was there - that he was bandaged up at the ER. That's why I couldn't…” Max trailed off, so Alex had no idea what he couldn't do. He pressed harder on the obvious bruise the confession had caused.

“He lied to you.”

“Why would he do that?”

“How would I know? Maybe he lied to you a lot. I mean, as you said I never talked to him til senior year, so maybe you two were never really there for him to begin with. Maybe he was the one who was always there for you, and until I came along, he never had anyone to rely on.”

“That’s bullshit! You don’t know what your talking about!” Max snapped angrily.

Actually, it was bullshit. Michael had told him at the time that Max and Isobel fighting was throwing him off because they’d always been his stability, and he had no clue what to do when the two were refusing to get along. But he was getting a rise out of Max, and the anger felt good. Was just what he was looking for. “I don’t know, it seems to me as if this bizarre relationship between you three hasn’t done him any favors over the years.”

“...I don’t know where all this is coming from, Manes, but I think you need to go home and sleep this off. Before I do throw you into my drunk tank.” Max started to walk back to his vehicle.

“See, I just can’t figure it out.” Alex followed after him. “Cuz Guerin? There is no reason he should be slumming it here in Roswell. He was too smart, smarter than Liz - smarter than any of us. There’s no way he didn’t have scholarships lined up that could get him somewhere far away from here. So why is he here, Evans? Why is he wasting his life here in Roswell?”

“Why are you so interested in Michael?”

“I think it has something to do with you two. I think you are the ones that hold him here. Throwing away his life for you. And what I really don’t get is, if you are such good friends of his, why you’ve let him fall into this rut. Why you haven’t staged some sort of intervention to help him get his life together, if he’s “practically your brother” - if that is what he is to you and your sister. Cuz folks have had plenty to say about her and Guerin lately.”

“Are you talking about the rumors that they had an affair? Even Noah doesn’t believe them. Feel free to ask him, but maybe do so sober.”

“Are they rumors? Maybe you three have some… thing.” Which was stupid, and even as drunk as he was he knew he sounded ridiculous. “I mean, Isobel was so possessive of you - she didn’t even like you dating Liz, which was bizarre. And even now everyone in Roswell knows you three have some weird codependency. So, seriously, maybe you have some messed up-”

“Oh-kay, that’s enough.” Max interrupted him. “I don’t what this is, Manes, but either you call someone to take you home, or I will put you in jail.”

“Or maybe you like seeing him like this. Lording your perfect little lives over him. Maybe you like seeing him in the dirt!”

“That’s it!” Max stepped forward, pulling out handcuffs with his good hand.

“You still have a bad shoulder.” Alex reminded him, balancing on his prosthetic carefully. “You sure you wanna fight me, Evans?”

“I don’t think resisting arrest is going to be a good addition to this, Manes.”

“C’mon, Evans.” He threw his bottle of liquor away - letting it smash onto the cement. “Let’s dance.”

Alex threw the first punch, which Max dodged, grabbing his arm to throw him off balance. Alex’s crutch slammed purposefully into his leg - sending them both into the dirt. Before Max could recover, Alex was on him - throwing a punch in his face. Max gave a groan as his head bounced off the ground. When Alex pulled his fist back for another punch, Max threw them toward his right side - upsetting his balance as the prosthetic hampered that leg’s movement. He tried to get ahold of his wrists when he fell to the side, but Alex recovered quickly, rolling out of the way and diving back on top of him. Max moved to wrestle him back to the ground, but his bad shoulder was too weak to keep hold and Alex shoved him off, wheeling back for another punch.

Before it landed his shoulder was grabbed from behind and he gave a shout as someone stepped onto his leg and managed to get his hands cuffed behind him. His head was starting to reel from all the movement combined with the alcohol in his system and he looked up at the face of the blonde woman above him in confusion. “Don’t I know you?” He asked. Then he leaned over and threw up.

Jenna looked over in complete confusion as Max got to his feet. “What the hell is going on?” She asked him.

Alex didn’t hear Max’s reply as he fell over, luckily to the side of the puke now on the road rather than on top of it, and passed out.

 

* * *

 

 

The first thing Alex realized was his head was pounding and his mouth tasted like something had crawled into it and died. The second was the ground under him was hella hard. The fact that he had a hangover hit him before the fact that he was no longer in Iraq. As his mind played catch up with the fact that, yes, he was in Roswell, and the muddy version of the previous night's events he let out a groan.

“I'm not sure whether I am more furious or impressed.” Maria declared loudly from somewhere in front of him.

He groaned again, still not opening his eyes. “Quieter, Maria.”

“Oh, hell no, Alex Manes. No sympathy. You do realize where you are?”

“Pretty sure I got myself arrested last night.”

“I'm about to go pay your fine. Then we are having a talk. You hear me?”

“Much, much too loudly.” He assured her.

The good news was Maria being there meant his arrest hadn't gotten back to his father, and superior officer, yet. The bad news was that definitely would happen before the day was out. He heard the door close behind her, and forced himself to sit up. His head pounded harder, and he groaned.

“I could get you some water.” A voice murmured from in front of him.

He squinted at the figure in front of the cell. “Did I give you that shiner?”

“Sure did.” Max told him. “You're a heck of a fighter.”

“Wasn't a fair fight. You got shot three days ago.”

“Maybe we can have a rematch sometime.”

Alex gave a small huff of a laugh. His head gave a throb in retaliation.. “I… uh, don't remember what all I said to you last night. But I know I was looking for a fight. So feel free to disregard whatever drunk ramblings I did.”

“You talked a lot about high school, actually.”

“Wow. I went that far back to pick a fight?”

“Well, you talked a little about Liz… and a lot about Michael.”

Shit. Drunk Alex was a dumbass. “Well, you and I didn't really hang out. Liz and Guerin were the only real reason we ever interacted.”

“I'd forgotten, actually. About how you two began to hang out. You kept making comparisons last night. Hinting at how close you and Michael were back then.”

“You asking me something, Evans?”

Max hesitated, then stood up. “Nah, don't worry about it.”

“Afraid to find out the answer?” Alex had no idea why he was pushing. He'd chosen not to have their relationship be known, or to continue. Why did he want Max Evans of all people to question it?

“I'm afraid I might not have been as good a friend as Michael deserved back then if he didn't feel comfortable to talk to me about some things. But if you're asking if I'm afraid my opinion on Michael will change - never. He'll always be the same to me.”

“... I'm glad to hear that.” Alex replied. “Look, I am pretty sure I said some shit last night just to rile you up. Guerin, back then, he definitely mentioned how you two were always there for him.”

“Every night but the night his hand was broken.”

“Oh. I mentioned that night…”

“You weren't necessarily wrong about everything. Michael has always been one to play his cards close to his chest.”

“Why did he never leave Roswell?”

“...why would I know the answer to that?”

Alex frowned, fighting the headache to study Max's body language. It was tense. Rising unsteadily to his feet he gazed out him. “I'm pretty sure you do.”

“Look, whatever happened back in high school, it's been ten years. Who you are now, and who Michael is - there's no reason for you to be poking your nose into his business. No reason for you to to interact at all, really.”

“...did you just warn me off, Deputy Evans?”

“Just making an observation.”

“Time to go.” Maria reappeared, holding a small bag that probably had his wallet and whatever else had been in his pockets during his arrest.

Max let him out of the cell, and stepped back to the desk casually. Alex paused, watching him. “Why don't you ask your sister how those bagels were the other morning.” Max looked at him sharply; Maria's face was a mask of confusion by comparison. “See you around, Evans.”

That… hadn't been smart. As he followed Maria out of the station to her car, he decided to ask her up to the cabin for their talk. He definitely need someone on his side right now - someone he trusted to tell everything to. Plus, Maria DeLuca had been there the past ten years. She might be able to fill in the blanks. Help him answer questions he hadn't even known he needed the answers to until now.

**Author's Note:**

> Everyone in the show has gotten to get angry and in each other's faces, but Alex is like Mr Calm. I just wanted an excuse to write him getting in someone's face and into a fight and I picked on Max. (Sorry, Max)


End file.
